Arcadia’s stadium renovations were completed by the start of the Apaches’ Pacific League season. Renovations consisted of new seating and padded seats for season-ticket holders between the 25-yard lines. The visitor’s side also is new and can seat 1,500 fans. The home side seats 3,500. Arcadia athletic director Ryan Press said site management will be run by Monrovia. Parking can be found on Duarte Avenue next to the tennis courts. The parking lot behind the home stands will not be available.

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer

Evan Sanchez has been confined to a wheelchair for almost two months.

It’s not how the senior captain on the Monrovia High School football team envisioned the season, but you can bet he’ll be there Saturday night at 7:30 when Monrovia takes on Whittier Christian in the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship game at Arcadia High.

Sanchez suffered a leg injury during the offseason, but he worked hard to get back in time for fall camp and be ready to start again this season as a tight end/linebacker. That wasn’t the case in October when he suffered a first-half right leg injury against Blair. The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder tore the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and on senior night against La Caada in November underwent surgery to repair the knee.

“Because of the tear in his PCL he literally had no movement in his leg,” Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox said. “His leg was paralyzed. The rip to the PCL can have nerve damage.”

Sanchez proudly wears his Monrovia letterman jacket when wheeled to games. You’ll often find him sitting near one end of the sideline rooting for his team. But it still doesn’t compare to the rush of making a tackle and celebrating with teammates.

“I know how much it means to Evan to be there,” Maddox said. “It tears your heart as a coach because you know how bad he wants to be there playing.”
Maddox feels because of his strong work ethic and love for football Sanchez can find a way to be around the sport.

“I told him he’d be a great coach in the future,” Maddox said. “If he still wants to be part of the game, it’s a great avenue for him. He’s just such a phenomenal young man. He’s brilliant and he’s a champion.

“He’s the kind of kid you know is going to excel at anything he puts his mind to because he’s such a hard worker.”

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer

There’s a brotherhood among high school football coaches that’s hard to explain but easy to understand. It’s why Monrovia football coach Ryan Maddox has a few rooting interests in this coming weekend’s CIF-Southern Section football championship games.

It’s no secret where the third-year Wildcats coach will be Friday. Maddox will settle on the West Covina sideline and root for the Bulldogs when they take on Bonita in the Southeast Division championship game at Walnut High.

That night, Maddox likely will be more than curious to hear how Corona Centennial is doing against Vista Murrieta in the Inland Division title game.

It’ll only feel like a long day Saturday when Monrovia meets Whittier Christian in the Mid-Valley Division championship game at Arcadia High. Later that night, Maddox will see about possibly catching Servite in the Pac-5 Division title game against Mission Viejo at Angel Stadium. That game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net and replayed throughout the week.

The connection?

Several.

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Monrovia is the only school in the CIF-Southern Section’s history to have advanced to nine finals without bringing home a CIF championship. Here’s a closer look at Monrovia’s nine title-game appearances in its storied history. If it beats Whittier Christian on Saturday in the Mid-Valley Division championship game, is this Monrovia team the greatest in school history?

1935 — Santa Barbra 14, Monrovia 12, Major Division at the Rose Bowl
1951 — Pomona 26, Monrovia 13, Major Division at Mt. SAC
1959 — San Diego 53, Monrovia 0, AAA Division
1973 — Crescenta Valley 14, Monrovia 7, AAA Division
1982 — Verbum Dei 7, Monrovia 0, Northwestern Conference at Citrus College
1997 — Mira Costa 28, Monrovia 14, Division IX at El Camino College
1998 — Paso Robles 28, Monrovia 24, Division X at War Memorial Stadium
1999 — Paso Robles 29, Monrovia 10, Division X at Citrus College
2009 — San Dimas 12, Monrovia 7, Mid-Valley Division at Citrus College
2010 — ???

Pasadena Star-News: Mid-Valley Division title game moved to Arcadia High

UPDATED (12:59 P.M.): Monrovia and Whittier Christian will play Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship game at Arcadia High at 7:30 p.m. “We’ve basically been fighting it for the last 24 hours,” Monrovia principal Darvin Jackson said. “The difficulty was when you have all the representatives from all sides there, as well as CIF looking at the site. We could have kept arguing, but CIF was not going to agree. We were basically told we could not hold it at Monrovia. It wasn’t concession.” More in Wednesday’s paper.

Aram Tolegian’s take: Playing this game at Monrovia HS was the worst idea I’ve heard since the KFC double down.

UPDATED (10:41 a.m.): Monrovia principal Darvin Jackson said the school called Rob Wigod, the assistant commissioner in charge of football, and informed him they really want to play at Monrovia. He added Whittier Christian’s athletic director and principal, along with CIF officials, will be taking a tour today around noonish to determine if it’s feasible to play at Monrovia. As always, I’ll keep you posted.

Whittier Christian and Monrovia school officials met after the CIF-Southern Section football luncheon to talk location for Saturday’s CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division championship game. It appeared as if Monrovia’s site was a done and signed deal, but Whittier Christian is not budging, arguing that their view from the visitor’s side is not adequate. Monrovia principal Darvin Jackson said the seating capacity won’t be an issue since the school is erecting new bleachers. Now, the view. “We ended (talks) at a deadlock,” Jackson said. “What we decided was that we would come back (to the school) and figure this out. The issue is not the capacity. They were complaining about the quality of the existing visiting bleachers. We said we would have a decision hopefully by the end of the day and we would touch base by 5 or 6 (tonight). We definitely want to be fair.”

Never seen Monrovia with a more dominating performance than last night at San Dimas High. Several parents sitting in front of us kept saying Monrovia only had Nick Bueno, but it wouldn’t take long to find out that the Wildcats truly are loaded with depth, from Jay Henderson and Christian Blanco to Derrick Johnson, Anthony Kraft and Mason Bryant, who was a beast making seamless transition from offense to defense.

Some of you were concerned about not enough seating at Monrovia for next week’s CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division championship game against Whittier Christian. So, I went to the source and got some answers from one of the area’s best principals and big sports fan, Darvin Jackson.

Jackson said the school’s exploring options to add bleachers and increase parking. Jackson said the bleachers may be added at each end zone, but they will have to talk with the company that installed Monrovia’s synthetic track and find out if adding bleachers on it would void the school’s warranty.

Monrovia’s home side, which holds 2,500, saw only one sellout this season, which was during the Wildcats’ homecoming game. Jackson said the school that insted the visiting stands has in the past installed bleachers on rubber track, adding that it’s caused no damage.

Jackson also said the school is negotiating additional parking at Tom’s Burgers on Foothill and Madison Ave. They’re also talking with other local joints about using their parking space, each lot housing 30-40 cars. They are also talking to CVS about using their lot, and, if so, will bus fans from the lot to the stadium.

Some of you were concerned, but as you can see Monrovia’s one step ahead trying to make it easy for you all.

CIF-SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS
MID-VALLEY DIVISION
SEMIFINALS
Monrovia 47, San Dimas 14

Monrovia 7 7 21 16 — 47
San Dimas 6 0 8 0 — 14

SCORING
M: Jay Henderson 9 pass from Nick Bueno (Mason Bryant kick)
SD: Codee Wats 17 run (run failed)
M: Christian Blanco 7 run (Bryant kick)
M: Blanco 6 run (Bryant kick)
SD: Jordan Taylor 2 run (Theo Darlington run)
M: Bueno 9 run (run failed)
M: Bueno 1 run (Bryant kick)
M: Blanco 3 run (Bryant kick)
M: Blanco 7 run (kick failed)
Records: San Dimas 8-5; Monrovia 11-2

SAN DIMAS — Not this time.

That was the emphatic message the Monrovia High School football team sent to San Dimas in a 47-14 victory that lifted the Wildcats into their 10th CIF championship game.

The Wildcats will face Whittier Christian in the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship game next Saturday night.

It was a long time coming for Monrovia (11-2), which was meeting San Dimas (8-5) for the fourth time in 14 months. The Wildcats avenged a 12-7 defeat at the hands of the Saints in last year’s Mid-Valley Division final as well as a 35-34 overtime loss in September, a game in which the Wildcats led 28-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

Next Saturday’s championship game (Monrovia is the designated host team, but the home site is still to be determined) will be a rematch of last year’s semifinals at Monrovia. Whittier Christian defeated Olympic League foe Village Christian 43-42 in overtime on Friday to advance.

Nick Bueno, Christian Blanco and Jay Henderson led the Wildcats. Bueno passed for 204 yards and one touchdown, completing 12 of 22 passes.

Blanco had the game of his life. The senior running back rushed for 178 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries. Henderson caught eight passes for 157 yards and Luke Williams had four receptions for 54 yards.

“We finished this game,” Monrovia coach Ryan Maddox said. “We took advantage of turnovers and our rushing game really took control of the second half. Blanco came up huge.”

There was a telling moment with 1:51 left in the third quarter when San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow and part of his coaching staff were lowered from the scissors lift. Zernickow gave the Saints a small pep talk, but it was too little, too late. When it was over, San Dimas had turned the ball over six times and committed 10 penalties.

“We gave them some early Christmas gifts with all those turnovers and penalties,” Zernickow said, “but they’re

Theo Darlington of San Dimas High School runs for yards during Mid-Valley Division football semifinals game against Monrovia High School at San Dimas High School in San Dimas, December 4, 2010. (Correspondent photo by Larry Goren) really good. We couldn’t block them.”
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